1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an effective life indicator and a stopper including the same, and more particularly, to an effective life indicator and a stopper including the same that are capable of allowing a consumer to easily check a drinkable or usable period after opening a beverage or medicine accommodated in a container by maintaining a state in which a development material receiving section is ruptured by a pressure applied to the container when the stopper is coupled to the container and starting an operation as a development material is leaked to the outside to come in contact with a development medium member when the stopper is initially separated from the container.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In recent times, as a refrigeration and freezing industry is advanced, foods and medicines that require freezing and refrigeration should be appropriately managed, and in particular, the foods or medicines that require a strict temperature management during distribution should be always maintained in a fresh state during the entire distribution process from producers to consumers.
When such foods or medicines are exposed to a non-regulated temperature for a certain time or more, since an ingredient or contents thereof may be spoiled to cause a serious side effect of a user, it is very important for a consumer to check a distribution process of the foods and medicines with the naked eye.
Accordingly, a plurality of methods and apparatuses for allowing a consumer to determine whether the foods or medicines are distributed under the regulated temperature management are disclosed, a temperature and time indicator (such as time temperature indicator, TTI) (an instrument or a label attached to each of the corresponding products and configured to display accumulated temperature and time records in the products) is used by an international major company such as 3M or the like, and various kinds of TTIs are developed and used.
Meanwhile, as described above, most of the temperature and time indicators developed and used until now have a function of allowing a consumer to determine only whether the foods or medicines are distributed at an appropriate refrigeration or freezing temperature during the distribution process.
That is, the temperature and time indicators can only function to allow a user to confirm whether the foods or medicines are distributed in an appropriate temperature range during the process until arrival at the user, but cannot check (i) whether the foods or medicines are stored at an appropriate temperature, or (ii) whether the drinkable or usable time periods of the foods and medicines are expired after the user purchases and opens the foods or medicines.
Moreover, (iii) an expiration date applied to the foods or medicines merely shows a period in which the foods or medicines can be distributed after manufacture, but cannot propose a guide how long the foods or medicines could be used or drunk.
Accordingly, in order to solve the functional problems of the conventional temperature and time indicator, the inventor(s) has invented an effective life indicator attached to a stopper and configured to start an operation when the stopper is initially separated from a container and capable of allowing a consumer to easily check a drinkable or usable time period after opening beverages or medicines contained in the container, and the stopper including the same.